Our Family Reunion

Yesterday was one of those days you dream about.

For the first time, we held our Convocation during a school day. We brought in every single student and teacher connected to Holland Christian Schools—from our three elementary campuses, to our middle and high school campuses, to our homeschool connection folks. Parents and grandparents showed up too.

And there we were.

2,000 of us gathered in the gym at the high school.

One big family.

Families get together on holidays and hold family reunions to maintain the bonds they share and remind themselves of their common purpose. In our case, at Holland Christian Schools, every day we are Equipping Minds and Nurturing Hearts to Transform the World for Jesus Christ. Our teachers and administrators partner with parents and churches to pursue that mission vigorously. I know it. I've seen it.

But a lot of times, we get caught up in the everyday challenges of life inside our individual campus, our individual classrooms, our individual lives. Our field of vision narrows—not purposefully or maliciously, but just because nobody's perfect.

And that's why yesterday was so cool.

Here we sat with a visual reminder that we aren't in this alone . . . A big, huge blinking neon sign that said, "No man is an island!" Not the 3-year old jumping out of his shoes because he's so excited about the first day of school, and not the senior who is wrestling with the looming decision of where to go to college. 

We are one body. 

We are brothers and sisters in Christ. 

And like our theme for the year says, we are living Life Together.

So for half an hour yesterday, we reminded ourselves of that. We recited scripture together in a beautiful call and response. We sang songs—the most wonderful mix of voices you ever did hear. And we dedicated the year ahead to the Lord. That shared focus . . . that bond, is the thing that holds our HCS family together. It's why we had a family reunion yesterday in the gym.

As students were arriving and the room was half full, the buzz of shared conversations filled the air. My daughter's class arrived, and as she walked in, she excitedly called, "Daddy! Daddy!" It's funny how this happens, but even though my back was turned and background noise abounded, my ears perked up, and I thought, I hear my daughter's voice.

As we sang together, I pictured God looking down and saying the same thing. "I hear my daughter's voice. I hear my son's voice." And it sounded like this:

What a day! 

What a family reunion!

Didn't you read the fine print?

Today was the first day of classes at Holland Christian Schools. Students were excitedly buzzing around the halls of our campuses, eager to reconnect with their friends, meet their new teachers, and get started on this next installment of their learning adventure.

In the high school this morning, we were greeted by the sound of a french horn playing a pep band solo, loud chants of the number "7," and various packs of students roaming the halls in sailor hats, Hawaiian leis, and stick-on mustaches. All that could only add up to one thing: Freshman Orientation Day. Over 100 of our seniors took time out of the last two days of their summer vacations to get trained as orientation leaders and then spend this morning welcoming the class of 2019 to campus. A scavenger hunt helped teams of students get to know the campus in a fun way before their first real day of classes. All in all, it's just a great way to kick off the year and build community.

At our elementary and middle school campuses, administrators and teachers welcomed mobs of students into the halls and thanked the Lord for a week of mild weather forecasted to make for a smooth transition back to class.

But this afternoon . . . 

There was a little mix-up for our afternoon bus routes that ended up with one of our principals, my assistant, and me getting in our cars and bringing kids home. 

"That's in your contract. Didn't you read the fine print?" joked my assistant.

It was certainly an unexpected turn of events, but I'll tell you what: I got to pack 6 wonderful elementary students into my Tahoe and ask them about how their day had gone.

"It was great! My new teacher is awesome!"

"We had chapel today where we learned about Life Together, our theme for the year . . . and then we got to sing some songs too!"

"Our teacher read to us. She's really good at that."

"I saw all my old friends, and I even made a new one!"

We pretended that my driving them was a cool adventure, and despite my iPhone spitting out turn by turn directions, I let them tell me how to get to their homes. When we arrived at our first stop, the two moms waiting there couldn't have been nicer and more understanding. All in all, it became an afternoon of unexpected pleasures.

Isn't it great when that happens? Isn't it nice to know that even when we've planned and scheduled our lives to the Nth degree, God has the ability to throw a wrench into things to remind us that we aren't in control . . . and then turn an inconvenience or a tough situation into a blessing to remind us that He is in control.

Today I watched students and teachers full of joy. I held a couple of meetings and prepared some materials for our school board. I started to answer emails and was then interrupted by the unexpected blessing of a ride home with some wonderful kids.

Education doesn't pay a lot, but it's the greatest job in the world.

Or didn't you read the fine print?

Thoughts and Musings from My MACUL 2015 Experience (Part 1)

Last week, several of the administrators and teachers from Holland Christian Schools and I descended upon the MACUL Educational Technology Conference in Detroit. I didn't exactly know what to expect from the event because the corresponding CUE Conference in California had always been a favorite of mine--meaning MACUL had some big shoes to fill.

We had a great experience.

Something magical happens when you put over 5,000 enthusiastic people together in a building to talk about the landscape of teaching and learning.

Not only was the conference filled with inspiring speakers, useful information, and interesting connections with fellow educators; but we also had ample opportunity to just hang out, share ideas, and dream about the future of education at our school.

. . . Oh, and play a little pick up baseball on the actual base paths of the old Tigers Stadium.

What I like about today's Ed Tech conferences is that they are less about specific devices and software and more about overarching principles behind the way students and teachers can work together, how to unleash people's potential, and how to imagine ways technology can help with that process. We can't hitch our wagons to a particular machine or one program that will be obsolete in a short time. It's better to develop broad philosophies of learning that can adapt to an ever-changing landscape.

So what did I take away from MACUL 2015?

Oftentimes in education, there is a distrust--either subtle or overt--of too much technology. We might worry that devices isolate our students from each other or that too much screen time is somehow de-humanizing. 

During his keynote address, George Couros (@gcouros) reminded me that technology--when used well--has the potential to connect us in ways that weren't previously possible and to help us tap deeply into the very fabric of our humanity. If you don't believe me, check out these clips:

I mean, seriously . . . How can you not get goosebumps watching those and thinking about how your own school can provide similar experiences for students?

Couros' talk also reminded me that while it's a good idea to provide teachers with the HOW--like professional development in the specific tools they will need to execute a new strategy, we shouldn't forget about the power of big ideas and inspiration to remind us about WHY we're doing what we're doing in the first place.

So going into this weekend, take a moment to remind yourself of what first drew you to your job. Tap into that spark and see if you can help a student or a co-worker discover theirs. In doing so, you'll stir something deeply human inside and feel the joy that comes from living into exactly who you were created to be.

More to come in the days ahead . . .